▪ I. marish, n. and a.1 Obs. exc. poet. and dial.
(ˈmærɪʃ)
Forms: α. 4–5 mar(r)ais(s, marys(e, mares, 4–6 mar(r)eis, -eys, 5 maryce, -ysse, -ise, -eyse, -eyes, 5–6 maress(e, marres(s(e, -ys, 5–7 marisse, 6 -ice, -is, -ese, -ees, marryce, 6–7 marris(e, marrice, 7 marraies; 4–5 marace, maras, 4–6 marras(s, 5 marasse, 6 marrase. β. 6 marysh, marys(s)he, marris(c)he, -ysh, merish, 6–7, 9 marrish, 7 mareish, (marest), 6– marish.
[ME. mareis, mares, a. OF. marais, mareis (mod.F. marais):—med.L. mariscus a. OTeut. *marisko- marsh n.1 The origin of the β forms is somewhat obscure; they may represent the occasional OF. maresche (:—med.L. *marisca fem.), or may possibly stand for a dialectal variant of the native English marsh (cf. the disyllabic OE. męrisc beside męrsc).
The It. marese is ad. F. marais; if independent, it would represent a popular L. type *marēnsis adj., the Fr. form of which would coincide with that of mariscus.]
A. n.
1. = marsh1.
| α c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 325 William Waleis,..In mores & mareis with robberie him fedes. 13.. Coer de L. 6038 Kyng Richard garte al the Ynglys Schere rysches in the marys. 1375 Barbour Bruce vi. 55 He..vent hym doune till a marrass. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xiv. 65 men may noȝt wele ga þat way..for waters and maracez þat er þare. 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) II. 357 A marras callede Lerna. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 63 They yode over a mareys for the next waye, but thei felle in the myre. c 1450 Merlin 604 Above this marasse was a chauchie. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. clxx. 155 As his hors ran it stert into a myre of mareys vp to the bely. 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. i. iv, The soyl was nocht but marres, slike, and sand. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 97 In mos, in marres, and in mony myre. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 74 Lurkyng in fennes and marisses lyke frogges. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 431 Tortoises found in muddie waters and marraies. 1609 Bible (Douay) 1 Macc. ix. 45 Bankes, and marrises, and forests. |
| β 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. lviii. 32 b, Sir Vauflart de la Croyse, who was in the marysshe, trustyng..to haue scaped, was spyed by some that rode a longe by the marese. 1596 Spenser F.Q. v. x. 23 These marishes and myrie bogs, In which the fearefull ewftes do build their bowres. 1611 Bible Ezek. xlvii. 11 The myrie places thereof, and the marishes thereof, shall not be healed. 1623 Lisle ælfric on O. & N. Test. Ded. 12 Your Forests breed you Deere, Your Marests Fowle. 1667 Milton P.L. xii. 630 As Ev'ning Mist Ris'n from a River o're the marish glides. 1726 Swift On Poetry Misc. 1735 V. 166 Like a Bridge that joins a Marish To Moorlands of a diff'rent Parish. 1765 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. xx. (ed. 2) 149 There are many marishes in Scotland. Some have been drained. 1830 Tennyson Dying Swan ii, Far thro' the marish green and still The tangled water-courses slept. 1858 Morris Sir P. Harpdon's End 74 We struggled in a marish half the day. 1880 Times 17 Sept. 8/5 [Yorkshire] In the carrs and marishes both corn and turnips are under water. |
2. attrib.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xix. lxxix. (1495) 910 Egges of marreys foule ben yelowe. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. i. xiv. 38 Fer from eny palusche or mares grounde. 1625 K. Long tr. Barclay's Argenis ii. ii. 71 The King's horses..chafed with the stinging of the marish gnats. 1658 Osborn Adv. Son Wks. (1673) 234 Making a like use of Scripture and Reason of State, as Marishmen do of their Sluces, by which they keep out the Sea. 1830 Tennyson Mariana 40 The cluster'd marish-mosses. |
† b. In spec. names of plants, as marish dog-stones (see dogstones), marish mallow = marshmallow, marish parsley (see parsley), marish whorts (tr. Bot.L. Vaccinia palustria), cranberries.
| 1548 Turner Names of Herbes (1881) 11 Althea..is named..in Englishe marish mallowe. 1578 Lyte Dodoens v. xlii. 607 Smallache is called..in English,..Marrishe Parsley. Ibid. vi. xi. 671 We..do cal them in Latine, Vaccinia palustria, that is to say, Marrish Whorts, and Fen berries. 1597 Gerarde Herbal i. xcviii. 157 Marish Dogs stones hath many thicke blunt leaues next the roote. |
B. adj.
1. Of the nature of a marsh, marshy; such as is produced in a marsh.
The ending -ish has given to the n. used attrib. the aspect of an adj., and has thus favoured the development of the genuine adjectival use.
| 1543 Traheron Vigo's Chirurg. ii. ix. 42 He must abstaine..from marryshe fyshes and fennie. 1578 Lyte Dodoens vi. lxviii. 633 This herbe groweth also in moyst marrishe places. 1600 Surflet Country Farm iv. v. 637 If there be any marrish or dead water in..your medow: you must cause it to..draine out. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 142 A kind of marish or moorie Lentils. 1685 Boyle Salubr. Air 3 Marrish Grounds, and wet Soils are wont to be unhealthfull. 1859 Whittier Proph. Sam. Sewall 160 Hillside berries and marish seeds. 1883 Stevenson Silverado Sq. 7 A wooden footway, bridging one marish spot after another. |
† b. Used predicatively. Obs.
| 1549 in Cal. Scot. Papers (1898) I. 145 Cutters of mosses for makinge of mean landes of thos that be but marresse. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farm 13 That [earth]..which is watrie and marish. 1707 Sloane Jamaica I. p. lxxix, The country thereabout is marish and wet. 1775 Chandler Trav. Greece (1825) II. 368 The other wells are not easily to be..examined the spot being marish. |
c. fig.
| 1599 Harsnet Agst. Darell 235 He would neuer haue set the frame of all his cosening practises vpon that moist and marish conceit that Somers in his fits was altogether sencelesse. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. ii. iii, What danke marrish spirit But would be fyred with impatience? 1869 Lowell Dara 24 The frank sun of natures clear and rare Breeds poisonous fogs in low and marish minds. |
† 2. Salt, saline. (? A misapprehension.) Obs.
| 1609 Ev. Woman in Hum. i. i. in Bullen O. Pl. IV, That mooving marish element, that swels and swages as it please the Moone. 1621 Quarles Q. Ester K 4 b, Her cheekes o'reflowne With marish teares. |
Hence † ˈmarishness, marshiness.
| 1652–62 Heylin Cosmogr. ii. (1682) 107 The Marishness of the Ground. 1678 Wanley Wond. Lit. World IV. xxvii. §1. 409/1 Work was hindred by..the Marishness of the Grounds. |
▪ II. marish, a.2 rare.
(ˈmɛərɪʃ)
In 7 mareish.
[f. mare n. + -ish.]
Like, or like that of, a mare.
| 1679 Lond. Gaz. No. 1452/4 A bay..a little white on his two hind fetlocks, and a Mareish head. |